Florence & the Tuscan countryside in luxury

Enjoy your complimentary VIP lounge access before your flight to Pisa. You’ll pick up your hire car at the airport, perhaps pausing to take in the city's famous leaning icon and fading merchants’ houses, before driving to your luxurious 13th-century villa accommodation on the banks of the Arno River, a short distance outside Florence.

What’s more, its views of 25 acres of gardens are taken in by everything from yoga classes and a fine-dining restaurant and opulent rooms housed in the Villa. The Tuscan countryside extends as far as the eye can see; olive trees, vineyards and cypresses fill the landscape with their unique colours and scents.

While your hotel is delightfully secluded away from the city bustle, a shuttle is always on hand to bring you into town. However, so that you can get your bearings, we’ve also included a private walking tour, including entrance to the Uffizi Gallery’s collection of Renaissance masterpieces.

Your expert guide will also bring you among the city’s medieval maze to showcase everything from the Duomo’s iconic brickwork to the Ponte Vecchio – a multi-storey bridge of immense charm. You’ll also have plenty of time to explore at your leisure, enjoying the fashionable boutiques and sampling the Florentine steaks, best paired with a local red.

Today, you’ll head out into the Tuscan countryside, through rolling hills and honey-stone villages to arrive at your next accommodation – a country house dating back to the 1700s. It’s an impressive sight, wrapped in vineyards and olive groves. Within easy reach of Cortona, but also the three most famous Tuscan hilltop towns of Montepulciano, Pienza and Montacino, its rooms are all wooden beams and intricate stonework. In the restaurant, delicious carpaccio is served up to sunset views, while the superb spa offers a range of relaxing treatments. You’ll also want to spend some time unwinding on the gorgeous pool terrace.

You’ll have plenty of time to explore at your own pace, perhaps taking in the great Gothic architecture of Siena and the famous towers of San Gimignano – a 13th-century walled town that retains all of its medieval charm. Otherwise, take the chance to relax with a wine tasting at a local vineyard, join a watercolour class back at the hotel, or let the resident chef take you on a journey through the delights of local Tuscan cuisine.

After a final indulgent breakfast, drive back to Pisa airport to return your car hire and join your flight.